SANT ANGELO IN COLLE, Italy – From the wall of this small Tuscan hill town you can scan the horizon and spy some of the most important wine estates in the Montalcino district: Banfi, Argiano, Il Poggione and Col d’Orcia.
This is the southern tip of the Brunello di Montalcino zone, warmer and drier than vineyard lands closer to the town of Montalcino to the north. The wines of this area are typically riper and more powerful than those produced elsewhere in the Brunello zone, but none moreso than the iconic Col d’Orcia single-vineyard Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, Poggio al Vento.
As the producers of the region unveiled their 2001 Brunello riservas last week (riservas must be held a minimum of five years before release) at the Benvenuto Brunello in Montalcino, Col d’Orcia was only then taking the wraps off its 1999 Poggio al Vento Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, a full two years later than other 1999 riservas were presented.
‘A great Brunello needs time,’ opined Count Alberto Marone Cinzano, proprietor of the Col d’Orcia (meaning the hill, or col, overlooking the Orcia river) estate.
Of course, the Count’s neighbors might argue that all reserve Brunellos are great, or should be. But that would miss the point. The Poggio al Vento vineyard is a unique parcel that delivers a consistent quality vintage after vintage, namely powerful, long-lived Brunello that will be better in 10 years than it is today.
This is the quality that distinguishes Brunello di Montalcino from other Sangiovese-based wines of Tuscany, and it is the reason Brunello can command prices considerably higher than those of the district’s chief rivals in the Chianti Classico region between Florence and Siena.
The 1999 vintage was exceptional for Brunello, perhaps slightly underrated by the local consorzio, which awarded the vintage four stars out of a possible five. During an extensive tasting of the 1999 Brunello normale (non-riserva) three years ago, I had been impressed with the quality across the board. And the riservas are even better, exhibiting more structure along with exceptional complexity.
Col d’Orcia’s Poggio al Vento appears tight even today, as though it could have gone another year or two prior to release. The idea behind the long wait is to allow the tannins to mature and soften, making a riserva more pleasing to drink upon release. But the better riservas inevitably require additional patience by the consumer, though there has been movement in recent years toward more modern, supple Brunello that can be consumed immediately.
Even at Col d’Orcia they produce Brunello in this fashion. But not the Poggio al Vento. Here, they allow the vineyard to speak for itself.
Photos: Top, Col d’Orcia’s Poggio al Vento vineyard; middle, 1999 Col d’Orcia Brunello di Montalcino Riserva ‘Poggio al Vento’ is boxed for shipping; bottom, the Count proudly shows off a bottle of the latest Poggio al Vento Brunello Riserva.
Photos by Robert Whitley
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